I have been staying at home mostly. It is very very cold in Michigan. It is running from -14 degrees to 9 degrees, with a high wind chill factor. So have not been doing any thing but using my stock formulas and developing expose film for testing my new lighting system that I am developing, using old disposable flash cameras.

If you ever wanted a studio photo flash system with three flashes, without using slaves. I will batch up all my inform and email it to you.

I plan to mix up all new stuff in May. Completely clean out my old stock and start a new batch.

Yes, I use that as well. But I use 150 watt bulbs with white panels for reflection and bounce.

In 1956, when I was in middle school, we had our pictures taken. And they use the first studio flash system that I had ever seen. And it just stayed with me. I had always wanted one, yet I could not afford one. $2,300.00 in 1956 was unheard of for a child's hobby needs. You could purchase a new car for less than a $1000.00 dollars. So no way would I get one. Not..., my Dad.

Even today, at prices that I can afford, I still do not want to spend that type of money. So since all of the components and materials are quickly and easily available. I just decided to design my own from all the available components that you can obtain from surplus electronic houses.

So with the cost for parts and material less than $100.00 dollars, and with my vast electronic engineering //background//, I decided it was time to design, test, and build one for myself.

I went to the vast number of factories in the Detroit area, to obtain many of the parts that I required..., for free. Strap wood and metal, plus other items, I obtain from refuse areas. And now all I had to do was design and fit.

The task is getting done, but slowly, as I change and design in better ideas and materials. Becasue I have gone from simple to complex, as more and more better parts are showing up. Funny how that happens.

Well back to PaRodinal. I have been doing alot of theory on PaRodinal. I will be refining my process of it. But I will not post the changes or improvements until next season. Becuase I have to plan this year's vacation. And put aside funds for my beautiful adult children, who are having a hard time back in the expensive west coast. Obama is doing his share to improve the economy, now if Congress could only do their's without all the fan fare. If we could pour money into our infrastructure, we could create millions of jobs. Our roads, electrical system, water ways and transport system, bridges, tunnels, and a host of other items; all need replacement or repair. I fear driving the nations highways and roads today.

Anyway, I will tackle the clean up of my lab and darkroom this coming month. Out with the old, and in with the new. Spring is coming. I have a Durst 35 mm color enlarger I need to sell. $40.00 to anyone, plus shipping. I also will be planning a trip to your state this Spring. If I get close to you, I will give you a yell.

I got the same problem there too. My spouse wants a walk-in bathroom. A complete redo at around $14.000.00 dollar. Her new 2014 car, was suppose to be my new 2014 truck. I will never take her car buying with me again.

I can tell you for a fact, to try your local pool supply for your sodium sulfite. It is 98% pure and cost very little for the amount that you get.

Yes that sodium/potassium drain cleaner is good stuff. I use about 90 ml for 250ml of concenrated Rodinal. It will last a while.

Ok, then I hope you can make it. I am still playing father to adults, so I will be tapped out soon of all loose funds, real quickly. I use Detrol or Selectrol for paper. I will be returning to 130 later this year.

tried Kenny's formula, with a pinch of sea salt added. bottled in a glass bottle that once contained a very good rum. Some cloudy residue has settled to the bottom, but not really concerned about it.
color is caramal. I love caramals. first roll of film developed after letting it set for 3-4 days. I think letting it set for at least 72 hours after formulation, before using, is quite crucial. this after prior experiences with parodinal years past.
Have just developed my first roll of pan f + which is quite out of date. actually it was a snip test of six frames. I couldn't wait to try it out. negs were a little thin, but looked ok on flat bed scanner. I attribute this to either the age of the film, too short a development time, or the camera I used: a Kodak signet 35 but this would have caused over exposure as I am sure that the shutter is slow. Or an inaccurate meter. any how, the grain was very fine, not what I would have expected from this developer. will try to print a few frames tonite. will report.
Jim

Printed two 8x10's on Kentmere Select VC. Dektol 1:1. Quite impressive. No noticeable grain, sharp edges. As expected, hilite are a little problematic, but not an insurmountable issue. OK shadow detail, the importance of which is the subject for another post. Overall contrast good. No vc filters used. For s & g, am going to expose a few frames at ei 100. Life is good.
jim

Well, pan f/rodinal combo was marginally successful; in other words, not so good.
thinking about trying another approach to the pan f contrast "problem". went through my developer files looking for a formula for a compensating developer. came across one for xr-1. claims to have some compensating characteristics, as well as offering a higher ei than 50. I did mix some up but haven't used it yet. wife and I are planning a trip to galena, Illinois next week, and I know I will find some photo opportunities there.
looked at apug and photo.net for some info on xr-1; a few references on each, but not much on results. any body here have any experience with it.......Robert v., ornello, Kenny e., Jay, anybody?
Jim

pirateoversixty wrote:Well, pan f/rodinal combo was marginally successful; in other words, not so good.
thinking about trying another approach to the pan f contrast "problem". went through my developer files looking for a formula for a compensating developer. came across one for xr-1. claims to have some compensating characteristics, as well as offering a higher ei than 50. I did mix some up but haven't used it yet. wife and I are planning a trip to galena, Illinois next week, and I know I will find some photo opportunities there.
looked at apug and photo.net for some info on xr-1; a few references on each, but not much on results. any body here have any experience with it.......Robert v., ornello, Kenny e., Jay, anybody?
Jim

I told you so, but you would not listen.

Just use D-76 1:3, try 8-10 min for trial.

Slow films develop quickly. I would suggest Fuji Acros. It's basically in the same fine-grain class.

I am glad you tried the formula. You will need more time with the soup, to get it to do what you want it to. So do not give up on it. As far as XR-1 is concerned, never used it. Unblinking Eye has some information on it. But I use Technidol for such films and conditions. So if you want, go to my blog, get my email, and email me your address and I can send you some Technidol. I have a lot of it, both liquid and powder.

I been having a lot of family issues, and as soon as I can get control of those issues, I will turn my attention back to my love. But getting people to come together..., is not easy any more. Just look at congress.

back from trip to galena. got a little distracted from my intent to finish off my short roll of pan f+. much to my delight I scored a voigtlander bessa II in almost perfect shape!!! miserable overcast weather most of the time we were there, but I did manage to get a roll of extreme 400 exposed, but without benefit of a light meter. after forty some years of shooting, I still don't have a real handle on the sunny 16 rule, especially under overcast skies. anyhow, got back and popped it into parodinal 1+25. negs came out ok. didn't look that great on the scanner but printed quite well in the darkroom to 5x7. sharp, not overly contrasty nor grainy. I think 1+25 will give me the best results with this batch. grain with this film developer combo is comparable to d-76 1:1. will get back to the pan f dilemma in the near future. want to play with my new toy for awhile.

It is nice to hear about your vacation. I do hope it all went well Jim.
OK, so 1:25 seems to be a better fit, great. 5X7 is a good size print for rodinal type developers, pushing it pass 8X10, will be asking for the grain to show up.

I have been busy with family and building a 4X5 view, with all the parts and pieces of cameras I collected from estate sells, camera shows, and yard sales. I have a good collection of lens, backs, film holders, and camera front and back ends bodies. So I am going for it. Purchase a good bandsaw, chisels, knives, and blades from Rockford..., and some clear straight pine and Douglas Fir from Oregon.

I will try to get it done after the holidays, before Presidents Day.

My offer still stands if you want the developer. Wish you could post a picture of your new camera.

pirateoversixty wrote:Kenny:
Your getting a little more complex than I would go, but I did consider adding a little sea salt to the basic formula. Have you tried combining parodinal with xtol yet? This mixture seems to be popular in some quarters
Jim.